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Top New Zealand junior fiction picks for 2021

<h2>Ten junior fiction books released in 2021 by Kiwi authors have been named Storylines Notable Books 2021&comma; with the winning work to be revealed next month&period;<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>Storylines Children’s Literature Trust Te Whare Waituhi Tamariki o Aotearoa announced its list of top novels by New Zealand authors for young readers published from 1 January 2020 to 31 July 2021&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>In association with TV2’s What Now programme and the Kids’ Pick Award run by Storylines&comma; the overall award for best book will be judged by intermediate-age children&period; It will be presented live on 14 November by New Zealand Te Awhi Rito Reading Ambassador Ben Brown&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Christine Young&comma; Chair of Storylines Trust&comma; noted that the judges had commented particularly on the very high standard of this year’s entries&period; &OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;We’re delighted to announce a list of ten exceptional junior fiction novels that emphasise the depth of New Zealand publishing for young emerging readers&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;The list Includes established writers Des Hunt&comma; David Hill&comma; Bernard Beckett&comma; T&period;K&period; Roxborogh&comma; Leonie Agnew&comma; Bill Nagelkerke&comma; and Mary-anne Scott&comma; alongside newer writers represented by Jonathan King and Anna Kenna&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&OpenCurlyDoubleQuote;Reflecting the high standard of the entries&comma; judges also chose two highly commended books&comma; Partners in Slime by Storylines Tom Fitzgibbon Award winner Belinda O’Keefe and The Forever Horse by perennially popular author Stacy Gregg&period;”<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The Storylines Notable <a class&equals;"wpil&lowbar;keyword&lowbar;link" href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;schoolnews&period;co&period;nz&sol;2015&sol;11&sol;children-s-book-awards-merge-prize-money-increases&sol;" title&equals;"Book Awards" data-wpil-keyword-link&equals;"linked" target&equals;"&lowbar;blank">Book Awards<&sol;a> began in 1999 to bring to public attention the best of New Zealand publishing in five genres&colon; Junior Fiction&comma; Young Adult Fiction&comma; Nonfiction&comma; Picture Books and Te Reo M&amacr;ori&period; The top ten notable books were selected by a panel of seven experts in children’s literature&comma; appointed by Storylines&period; <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&NewLine;<strong>The full list of 2021 Storylines Junior Fiction Notable Books is&colon;<&sol;strong><br &sol;>&NewLine;• Mallory&comma; Mallory&colon; The Revenge of the Tooth Fairy&comma; by James Norcliffe&comma; <br &sol;>&NewLine;illustrations by Emily Walker &lpar;Penguin Random House NZ – Puffin&comma; September <br &sol;>&NewLine;2020&rpar;<br &sol;>&NewLine;• The Inkberg Enigma&comma; text and illustrations by Jonathan King &lpar;Gecko Press&comma; <br &sol;>&NewLine;August 2020&rpar;<br &sol;>&NewLine;• Viola Vincent Reporting &&num;8211&semi; Troubled Water&comma; by Anna Kenna &lpar;Tiromoana <br &sol;>&NewLine;Publishing&comma; September 2020&rpar;<br &sol;>&NewLine;• Charlie Tangaroa and the Creature from the Sea&comma; by T K Roxborogh&comma; <br &sol;>&NewLine;illustrations by Phoebe Morris &lpar;Huia Publishers&comma; September 2020&rpar;<br &sol;>&NewLine;• Red Edge&comma; by Des Hunt &lpar;Scholastic New Zealand&comma; September 2020&rpar;<br &sol;>&NewLine;• Spearo&comma; by Mary-anne Scott &lpar;OneTree House&comma; September 2020&rpar;<br &sol;>&NewLine;• Three Scoops&colon; Stories by David Hill&comma; by David Hill&comma; illustrations by Lisa Allen <br &sol;>&NewLine;&lpar;OneTree House&comma; July 2021&rpar;<br &sol;>&NewLine;• The Memory Thief&comma; by Leonie Agnew&comma; illustrations by Kieran Rynhart &lpar;Penguin <br &sol;>&NewLine;Random House NZ – Puffin&comma; July 2021&rpar;<br &sol;>&NewLine;• The Tunnel of Dreams&comma; by Bernard Beckett &lpar;Text Publishing&comma; September 2020&rpar;<br &sol;>&NewLine;• The Ghosts on the Hill&comma; by Bill Nagelkerke&comma; illustrations by Theo Macdonald <br &sol;>&NewLine;&lpar;The Cuba Press&comma; July 2020&rpar;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Highly Commended&colon;<br &sol;>&NewLine;• Partners in Slime&comma; by Belinda O’Keefe &lpar;Scholastic New Zealand 2021&rpar;<br &sol;>&NewLine;• The Forever Horse&comma; by Stacy Gregg &lpar;HarperCollins 2021<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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Heather Barker Vermeer

Heather has worked as a journalist, writer and editor in England and Aotearoa New Zealand for over 20 years. She fell in love with words when she received a 'Speak & Spell' tech toy for Christmas in 1984.

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